Merseyside's multi-venue festival Sound City returned once again on Bank holiday weekend and proved why we love it so much. Running from venue to venue to catch everyone on your packed schedule, inevitably bumping into your best mates, your favourite band and that ex you haven't spoke to in 5 years... Photo Credit: Paul Lang (@paullangphotographer) // BOOT Magazine With an absolutely stacked line up filled with the most exciting new acts from the UK and beyond, are schedule w

Norwegian Dream-Pop duo Misty Coast have once again entranced listeners with their fifth album ‘Always Sun’, released on April 24th. A whirlwind of synth-induced psychosis, this record traps you in a void of swirling sounds, with harmonies like golden embers, and guitars flickering with sunlight. We are thrown straight into the psychedelic deep end with no arm bands as the titular track begins. Engulfed in smoky synth waves, Linn Frøkedal's ethereal vocals softly speak, “It’

Philadelphia 5-piece Soft No have once again proven that Rock n Roll is not dead. Their latest track ‘Probably Fine’, released on April 23rd, is unsettling in all the right places, with thunderous chords crashing and thrashing, drums becoming more and more volatile with every smash, and vocalist Allie Lannutti piling in with raw unfiltered energy, this is most certainly not a track to be missed. Since the band’s debut in 2024, they have combined everything good about Alternat

Courtney Hadwin’s ‘You Only Love Me When I Lie’, featuring guitarist Little Steven, of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, has kicked off the month of May with a track that is bursting with soul, and magnetic with seduction. With its slow but swaying beat, Hadwin’s growling vocals, reaping with an intoxicating rasp, are lyrically enticing and complex. The titular lyrics are repeated throughout, later joined by lines such as, “There’s a darker side of me”, we are presented with

Daisy Grenade is the embodiment of glitter and lipgloss plastered grunge and their newest release ‘Girls Are So Lucky’ is no exception. Hailing from Brooklyn, the female Alt-Pop duo give us a taste of their upcoming EP ‘So Much To Say’ coming out on 15th May with this lead single and it doesn’t disappoint. ‘Girls Are So Lucky’ acts as a satire of the challenges of tour life and the added pressure of being a ‘girl in a band’ in a male-dominated industry. Edgy and raw, the song

Music serves many purposes: escapism, entertainment, relaxation, but relatability is arguably one of the most important usages. Through Larlin’s new track ‘Sondhiem’, they lyrically craft a beautiful and resonating tune that is direct and unafraid in confronting challenging emotions, which many listeners will align with. Fronted by Maryann Hoar, her dreamy vocals shine through the cozy chords that wrap you up in their indie softness, as the lyrics paint on a canvas of vulnera

Iona Luke’s poetic and honest lyricism takes the form of a comfort blanket of relatability through her latest single ‘Existential’. An authentic vulnerability shines through her angelic vocals as she illustrates the complexities of identity, and the entrapment that can accompany this. Photo Credit: Daisy Dickinson Throughout the track, the notion of being stuck in a cycle is prevalent both lyrically and instrumentally, as we are faced with purposeful bleak and repetitive guit

Kick-ass Australian Rock star Courtney Barnett returns from a five-year album hiatus with ‘Creature of Habit’. The album is strong, showcasing Barnett’s signature deadpan delivery and witty lyricism throughout. While it stays rooted in her Indie Rock foundations, there are subtle shifts in texture and influence, with country-tinged flourishes woven into the mix. The record moves comfortably between punchy guitar-driven tracks and more melancholic, stripped-back ballads, showi

This month saw the highly-anticipated sophomore release from Alt-Pop princess Holly Humberstone. Despite its pessimistic title, ‘Cruel World’ is undeniably Humberstone’s most confident, polished release to date. Across its tracklist, she builds an almost ethereal, fictional landscape that moves effortlessly between forward momentum and a lingering trance of vulnerability and yearning. Photo Credit: Silken Weinberg The album starts with the interlude ‘So It Starts…’, which se